World Bank Strengthening resilience of the road and drainage network in Nepal’s secondary cities

PROGRESS UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022

ICEM in partnership with GEOCE is implementing the World Bank Strengthening resilience of the road and drainage network in Nepal’s secondary cities project. The main objectives of the project are to (i) address challenges in planning, design and quality of road infrastructure in Nepal’s urban areas, (ii) support Pokhara and Urlabari municipalities in strengthening the linkages between road design, asset management, and risk and hazard mapping, (iii) contribute towards safeguarding the quality and sustainability of infrastructure investments under the World Bank’s Nepal Urban Governance and Infrastructure Project (NUGIP).

Throughout the first 10 months of the project a participatory approach has been successfully used to (i) build the capacity of Pokhara municipal engineers in hazard mapping and (ii) to obtain the most accurate and localised information on infrastructure and potential risks based on past experience and expert judgement concerning future impacts and hazards. This data forms a foundational part of the web-based Road Asset Management System (RAMS) for Pokhara (the first of its kind in Nepal), of which the draft version is anticipated by end of October. The project has received outstanding support from the Pokhara Mayor and CAO as well as active engagement from the municipal engineers, and with the continued strong support from NUGIP over the coming years the RAMS has solid potential to transform the maintenance and planning of road and drainage infrastructure from a reactive to a proactive approach.

Activity 1: Road and drainage asset management system with full integration of risk and hazard data for Pokhara

A key component of the project is to develop a web-based Road Asset Management System (RAMS) for Pokhara, including the integration of climate and disaster […]

Inception mission for project ‘Assessment for mainstreaming nature-based solutions in water supply sector’ in Cambodia

Over the last 30 years, there has been significant progress in ensuring that communities in Cambodia have access to reliable supplies of reasonable to good quality water in line with the 2003 Drinking Water Standard issued by the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC). Yet, the coverage and capacity of water supply systems serving domestic users across Cambodia are still highly variable. Although larger cities have well-developed water supply infrastructure, there is still a lack of connectivity to water supply infrastructure in rural areas, with only 17% of rural households serviced by piped water supply facilities.

Overall, the water supply sector is highly exposed to seasonal flood and drought conditions which are becoming more severe due to widespread and increasing watershed degradation. Climate change, population growth, biodiversity loss and land-use change in watersheds of Cambodia present water supply systems with challenges in managing water quality and quantity.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are an essential and cost-effective strategy for increasing resiliency to these stressors and generate a variety of co-benefits beyond the water sector by supporting poverty alleviation, community health and wellbeing, biodiversity protection, and climate mitigation.

Recognizing the values of NBS and supporting the RGC in strengthening the resilience of the water supply sector, the World Bank has engaged ICEM to conduct the project Assessment for mainstreaming nature-based solutions in the water supply sector. The project’s objectives are to explore the application of NBS in meeting the challenges and potential opportunities for sustainable water supply systems and to mainstream NBS in the water supply sector at operational and policy levels.

From the 10^th to 22^nd of June, 2022, the ICEM team undertook an inception mission for the project to the districts of Samaki Meanchey, Toek Phos (Kampong Chhnang province), and Prasat […]